Thursday, February 26, 2009

No, I'm not talking about your basic, everyday rituals like the one I have in the morning (wake up, go turn computer on, shuffle to kitchen and make coffee, shuffle back and check e-mail....). No, I'm talking about rituals that are hundreds of years old and observed pretty much as they were hundreds of years ago.

Coming from a relatively new culture, some of the ways of doing things here in Japan (which is waaaaaaaaay older than the U.S.) seem, well....tedious....old fashioned....and sometimes a complete pain in my butt...BUT....I do them, because, well...."when in Rome...." and...oh yeah...Lord knows I don't want to upset the "wa" of a situation. (Which will probably surprise people who have known me for years...yes, my friends, my rebel-rousing days are slowing down.) Actually, to be completely honest...I've come to like some of the rituals...they may be a bit of a pain, but...I've gotten used to them.

**Note: wa is the harmony, peace and balance of everyday life. Japanese work very hard to keep the wa. As I was once told by a Japanese friend, "You must respect the wa."

In the Japanese culture, rituals are very important. Take, for example, ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), which has roots (!!) that date back to the 6th century.

The main idea of ikebana is to "respect the harmony between man and nature by using 3 stems ...representing heaven, earth and man."

There are many schools of ikebana, each having their own philosophy and way of doing things. Certain flowers only go with certain plants and colors and there is meaning to most everything that is done and well.....my personal philosophy of ikebana ("flowers....vase.....Voila!") doesn't even come close to what all is involved in this art. I know ladies who have studied ikebana for years and when I asked them if they were almost finished, one lady said that she "would probably never be finished...there is always something new to learn".

The Japanese tea ceremony....or chadō (茶道, "the way of tea") is another art that is steeped (!!) in rituals and exactness of doing things. In the tea ceremony, harmony (和 wa), respect (敬 kei), purity (清 sei), and tranquility (寂 jaku) - are important points to always remember.

Being a part of a tea ceremony is something quite wonderful and yet, very stressful at the same time. There are so many rules and things to remember....how to hold the cup, how many times to rotate the cup, what to say to the server/person before you/person after you, what words to use, to name just a few of the very important details....and knowing that one wrong move could insult everyone in the room, well...let's just say that it takes many times of attending this kind of event to feel even slightly relaxed.

Again, many people study tea ceremony for years...perfecting the way of the ceremony. A few weeks ago, in one of my classes, we actually had a mini-tea ceremony...in English. One of my students is preparing for when foreign tourists come and she needed to practice. It was good, not only for the English, but for all of us in the room...there were many things that some of us did not know or had forgotten

(Two of my students trying to figure out the correct way to use the chopsticks when picking up the sweet cakes we eat before drinking the green tea.)

(Are you asking yourself now where the heck it is that I am going with this? I do have a point..and I'm almost there....promise.)

The Japanese movie that won the "Best Foreign Film" at the Academy Awards is a movie that has, as it's core, another aspect of this culture that is full of rituals. The movie, Departures(おくりびと ,Okuribito, in Japanese--click on the link to go to Wikipedia for movie info) looks at the job of the okuribito, or mortician from the standpoint of an out-of-work cellist who takes the job because he is in dire need of work and initially, he thinks the position is in a travel company. In fact, he tells his wife that's what the job is, knowing she will not like what it is he is doing.

The most impressive part of this movie that my students talked about was the way the okuribito worked. The American drama Six Feet Under is on TV here and the differences between the two kinds of morticians is almost like night and day. The Japanese counterpart is more of a spiritual guide for the person who has passed away....the rituals involved in preparing the body of the deceased were, as one student remarked, "almost graceful...like a dance"...how he learned to tie the obi (belt) of the kimono, for example, had one student almost in tears as she was talking about it.

In a world that is ever changing and where our rituals and ceremonies are slowly fading away, it's nice to know that some things don't change...even though this is not my own culture, it's the one in which I have chosen to live and sometimes, the tedious and old-fashioned way of doing things is good....almost comfortable.

And the wa.......lives on.

**Those pictures not belonging to me were borrowed from my friends at GoogleImages.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Well...butter my butt and call me a biscuit. The day is done. It's waaay past the time that I should have gone to bed. Is the laundry folded and put away? (Folded? yes. Put away? oh, well...that would be a "no".) Did I get my room organized like I have been needing to for the last year three months? (Ha! Ha! That one is a good one!!) Did I get the restroom cleaned? (Quickly gone over with a sponge, bowl bleached and new air freshener opened.)

I did spend some quality time on the sofa with my youngest. He was feeling pretty sad. Big brother and his friends "encouraged" him to come home really early from where they were playing. I have to admit, though, that I can see this situation from both sides.

I understand that Koji loves his brother and wants to spend time with "the big kids" because their toys are just so much more fun (Wii and/or Nintendo DS vs. Gameboy, for example) and yet, for Issei, having one's little brother tagging along every weekend, has to get a bit old. (And just for the record, I loved my little brothers and enjoyed hauling their butts and their friends' butts all over town and here and there from the time I turned 16 until I left for college, oh..yes...I really did. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

So, Little K-man and I curled up on the sofa under Grandpa Charles' blanket and watched mind-numbing programs on that particular channel which is home to a very famous mouse. Things were going really nicely until...when I got up one time to get some tea, I must have been curled up crooked because when I went to stand up, I got a yowchy feeling in my back.

This morning, I had all the fixin's out for the cake we were going to make for Issei's birthday...the "real" cake, that is. He had a drawing of some character from some animation he likes and I was ready to go.

As I got out the whipped cream stuff, he just "~~sigh~~"-ed really big. I asked him, "What the heck was that for?". He then explained that the whipped cream reminded him of the dessert I had made a while back that he really really liked and instead of making a cake could I make that again because really, he had "birthday cake" on Friday night after sushi and we didn't have to make the one with the character so could I please make that one, you remember the one with the peaches and pudding and cake on the bottom?

(I was really paying attention because honestly...if it's not something about a DS game, he doesn't really talk like that!!)

So...plans changed. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I got busy.

Cut some canned peaches and mangos up.

Made vanilla pudding...from scratch. (uh-huh...I really did.)

Whipped up some cream.

Crumbled up a Valentine's sponge cake I got for half price. (Which actually worked better because with it being a little dry, it really soaked up the fruit juice!!)

Layer that all in a glass bowl and

VOILA!!!

This is what was left...just enough for the K-man to have a bowl tomorrow!!

Total yumminess!!*********************

Since it was rainy for most of the day...and because I'd rather do anything, it seems, than what I really should....I got out the sewing machine again and made 2 coasters and a small mat. The purple material is from some left-over hula skirt material...and the blue? Yep, still working on using up my old skirt...it was a very big skirt!! :-D

Again....not perfect, but I am getting better. Might possibly give this to one of the hula ladies in my group (she always gives me snacks, sweets, and stuff!!)...and being the "good Japanese girl" that I am, that is what I should probably do....to "repay her for the kindness she has shown me".**************************

"MMMMMMMMMandom."(Something they do almost every night!)

Just watch the old commercial and then the photo of my three goofballs might possibly be explained. The commercial is from, maybe the early 70's....I'll have to go in and check...whenever it was, it definitely made a big impression on the K-man.If I had a dollar for every time he has rubbed his face and chin and said, "MMMMMMandom." (like Charles Bronson in the commercial!) I would be a very rich woman by now.And now....the boys do it.~~sigh~~

But wait...here's another one...this one is in English!!Check out the door design at the very beginning!!Classic!! (she typed, while rolling her eyes.)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Imagine my surprise when I read the following headline on Yahoo this evening:

Hugh Jackman to Do Oscars Drunk and Nude

Since the Oscars are broadcast on Sunday night in the States and technically, that is my Monday morning.....yes, I do believe that this would be something I would seriously consider as a good excuse to cancel my classes for the day.

Here's more of what Yahoo had to say about this blessed event:

Sunday night's Oscars host, Hugh Jackman, is sure to shake things up. For one thing, he's not a professional comedian like most previous hosts. For another, he tells CNN that he plans to do the entire show naked and inebriated.It turns out the Sexiest Man Alive may also be one of the sassiest:"One of my favorite moments at the Oscars was when the streaker came across [past] David Niven. And we're upping it a level and we're just going to do most of the show naked. Um, well, there hopefully will be YouTube moments….Drunk and nude, yes. So that's our new fresh approach. It's the Australian way."

God bless the Australians!!!!!!!Just more proof that there truly is a God and one that wants me (and many more like me) to be happy....very, very happy.

Friday, February 20, 2009

On a good day, Friday will kick my butt.Today...it took me down to the mat and rubbed a dirty sock in my face.But...I survived and yeah...it was fun.

Every Friday, I have three classes in three different parts of the city. The morning class is, though not the lowest level I have, it's running a tight race with another for that spot. The afternoon class is my highest class~~the class that keeps me on my toes~~the class where I have to be really careful because they get the jokes...they get the sarcasm....and they are pretty damn funny and sarcastic themselves!!! I love them. After that, I have two little girls (almost exactly the same ages as Issei and Koji!) that were in Canada for a couple of years and just returned last August. They are such "girly girls".....quite a change from the rough and tumbleness of the boys!!

Today...thrown in the middle of all that was a quick shopping excursion for some last-minute stuff for Issei. After the girls' class, I rushed to pick up Koji....safely sped home...picked up the K-man and The Birthday Boy...did a drive-by to Grandma's and loaded her up and.....

off we went for sushi at a kaiten zushi place. This is where you sit at a counter that encircles the sushi chefs who are making sushi quickly and putting it on a conveyor belt just above the counter....you see what you like, you grab it. The place we went to tonight was really, really cheap....each plate from the conveyor belt was 110 yen (about a dollar)....special orders were 158 yen and 210 yen.

Koji and Grandma....and some really grumpy-looking people by the window waiting for a table. We got there right before the rush.

(The waitress doesn't look too terribly happy either, does she?) This was the sushi chef that was stationed right in front of us.

He was really nice, but...the K-man and I agreed that every time we looked at him, we saw...

I got tickled one time and really had a hard time even looking at the K-man because he was laughing, too!! Every time the sushi chef shouted out an order I kept expecting him to get his sword out and do some damage!!

(And just for the record....the K-man used to watch the music spots from Saturday Night Live. One of the cable music programs did a 10-part series highlighting all the musicians that appeared on SNL. He really had no idea as to the comedy side of the show....it was up to me to enlighten him on the joys of Land Shark, the All Male Nurse Band, The Bees, the "CheeseburgerCheeseburger" cafe and of course John Belushi and his Samurai...just to name a few!!)

The real damage....

110 yen plates......30

158 yen plates....6

210 yen plates.....2

Incredible full and happy people....5

Total for the evening....about $45.

Not bad....not bad at all!!

We then went to our favorite cake shop and bought chocolate cake for the Birthday Boy.

It was yummy!!

On Sunday, I will make a cake for Issei and his friends. He has until tomorrow morning to hand over his request for what he wants. I saw some of the things he was sketching out and ~~sigh~~ it's going to be another 'cake challenge', I do believe. I'll let you know on Sunday night how it turned out!!!

Issei...a fun little man in his own right...through the years!

And with that, my loves, the fat lady is warming up the pipes and about to start.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Eleven years ago tonight, I was sitting alone in a maternity hospital....fighting bouts of nervous nausea and tears. Visiting hours were over and the nurses had cut all water, juice, snacks...pretty much everything I had begun to crave like a big dog....off for the night. Due to the fact that "little one" had spent the last 3 months not in the position he was supposed to be ...a c-section had been scheduled for the following day....and the final countdown had begun.

(The doctors had discussed trying to turn him before delivery, but... for that last 3 months, I had done exercises to help him flip around and get in the right direction, which, like the good little one he was, would do. But, then, after about 3 minutes, in an almost Alien-like fashion, he would slowly flwwwwooop...and he'd be right back to his earlier sitting position. It was quite entertaining to watch!! About one month before the delivery, the doctors were worried that with all the turning he had done, it looked as if there might be a chance the cord was around a foot. No one wanted to take any unnecessary chances.)

**And might I say, right now...just for the record...that I was oh so very happy for that scheduled surgery!! The idea of going through natural childbirth....no drugs what-so-ever...just made me sick to my stomach. I. Am. A. Weenie. There...I said it. Plus...having so many friends so willing to share their birth stories...no..huh-uh...no. thank. you. Anyway.....

I have a bit of a birthday post for Issei tomorrow, but I wanted to share this with you....my little man...about 1 day old. Check out that hair, would you?!

The last few days have been kind of crazy. The school year is winding down and events at each of the boys' schools have kept me running.

On Wednesday, Koji's daycare had their monthly "happy shukai"....which is just a happy day where the oldest three classes have performances. This particular one was the last one of the year...his final one. Graduation is March 20 and on April 1, he will no longer be there.

He is starting to feel a little sad about not being able to see his friends after they all start 1st Grade. Koji, like Issei before him, is the only one from this neighborhood so will be "the lone ranger" in his 1st Grade class. I keep reminding him that he will make new friends, but that he can also make plans to play with his old friends. He's just going to a different school...NOT a different city!! A very hard concept for a 6-year-old to understand.

Anyway....I went to this 'final performance' and was treated to some very interesting music by his class....there were drums, maracas, xylophones, bells and I'm sure a few more instruments (after awhile it got really hard to separate the instruments!) . They played two songs: the first was a Japanese one I didn't recognize and then, a song that freaking drives me nuts and makes me want to hit someone when I hear it everyone knows, "It's A Small World"

**Koji having a "deer caught in the headlights" moment. He did actually sing...later.**

On Tuesday, I had gone to Issei's school for his class's end of the year hapyokai, or "performances and demonstrations". (Issei's group did something about balance...I'm pretty sure that's what it was....maybe!). At the end of the day, all the 5th Grade students sang a couple songs. It was a nice day and even though we were in the gym and it was freaking freezing, it was still a good day.

**Issei is in the middle...white baseball shirt with blue sleeves. I never really realized it, but, in the winter, he really is pale. In the summer he gets so dark....weird.

The ume (plum trees), and the momo, (peach trees) are really starting to blossom around where we live. It has been raining for most of the last 24 hours and I'm afraid that what buds and blossoms there were, are gone. I could be wrong and I hope that I am...but, I am preparing myself for what I find, or don't find, in the morning.

Which is why I am so glad that I took a picture of the ume tree in our garden the other day. The blossoms are so pretty and have such a lovely, sweet smell.

Monday, February 16, 2009

If you are thinking that I got these flowers on Saturday then...well...nice thoughts, but...no. I just really liked this little bouquet of my favorite flowers when I got it....and by "got it", I mean that I bought it myself...a few weeks ago.

No...Valentine's Day went the way I pretty much expected it to. I've learned not to expect anything, that way I won't be disappointed and someday...maybe someday I might be really surprised.

Now...before I continue...let me say a few words in the K-man's behalf.

No...he doesn't do anything for Valentine's Day. That...I have accepted. I don't really like it but...that's the way it goes.

On the other hand.....on March 14, White Day, the day when men repay the women who gave them chocolate on February 14, by giving them something...yes, you guessed it...white....the K-man really does a good White Day.

Yes, I complain....but I really shouldn't because as they say, "When in Rome.....".

*******************************

On Saturday, between classes, I ventured into the Valentine's Day chocolate area of the department store near where I was teaching. It was packed. Little girls....young girls...college girls...young "office lady"-looking types....middle-aged women...quite a few oldER ladies...and me....all pushing around the aisles and boxes to get THE perfect box of chocolate for the men in our lives.

After deciding on what I wanted, I got in line and, even with 6 ladies working the registers, I waited for about 15 minutes. No, I was not the only one who waited until the last minute to buy "sweets for my sweet".

(Two girls behind me were complaining that another, bigger store was already discounting their chocolates 10% and they were really mad because, where we were? No. Not yet. Full price, babies. So they had planned the late shopping for the discount...I bet next year they go to the other end of the town for the bargains!!)

What did I buy? Let's see......I bought the boys some Dragon Quest chocolates and some that looked like a sports drink they like. Do I have pictures of these? NO, I don't. The little monsters got them opened up and eaten before I realized that I hadn't captured the moment. ~~sigh~~

For the K-man.....there were little "bottles" of liqueur...orange, grapefruit and my favorite, coffee.

I also got him 6 bars of his favorite candy bar....another liqueur-filled chocolate, but one that has been around for a very long time. Funny.....those disappeared very quickly. I'm thinking that he might had hid them. Can you imagine hiding chocolate from the other members of this family? I'm appalled!! I can't believe he would do such a thing. The very idea that he would......okay, okay, okay....I admit...I do have my own "emergency kit". But...in my defense...it has stuff that canNOT be bought here and.....if no one knows that I even have it, is anyone hurt by NOT knowing about its presence?

Moving right along...please.....

In case you are wondering...yes, I did buy myself my own box of chocolates. Knowing the boys the way I do, no...they weren't going to share. I'm also not a big fan of liqueur-filled chocolates (though I did "sample" a few from the K-man's box~~yummy!!). I would have really hated to be sitting there....all alone...awash in chocolate envy....so I got a box of some girly chocolates.

Aaaaannnnddd.......to show you that my plan to "change the way Japanese people look at Valentine's Day" is slowly working......I got this from a couple of my students. The chocolates were good and the best part is the metal bucket.....I have plans for that bucket!!!

*************************

A final word about sweet stuff......

When I was buying chocolates for my boys, I also picked up some bonbon-type cookie sweets for my afternoon class. I had never had them before and Lordy, Lordy, Lordy....I'm in trouble!!

These little cookies are not something that I could eat everyday...oh, no no...tempting it might be, but, they are just too rich. They would be wonderful as a special treat...something to have when my "emergency kit" runs empty.

Are you familiar with these little nuggets of total yumminess?

They are a bite of something most incredible.

If you like coconut....and rich flavors all running around in your mouth...then you will like these. If you haven't tried them, go....now....run to the store and see if you can find them. Believe me, you won't be disappointed...unless, you are on a diet and then, well....damn me for telling you about them!!

****************************

And just because this is something I couldn't resist adding.....

When I Googled the Raffaello cookie.....pictures of the cookie and some other arty-farty stuff came up....and then....there on the third row of pictures....was this....

Raffaello

(Actually....only one picture was on the third row..the others I got from the link!!)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

My good friend, Lila, knowing how much I just freakin' can't standlove Valentine's Day here in Japan, sent me a funny card because maybe she thought I'd feel better about how things are done here.

I wanted to scan it for you (though you've probably seen one just like it!) but....some strange alien life form has taken over my scanner and it says that it "is busy and can't scan the project right now. Please try again later." (hmmmm....I wonder how long the alien will stay?! Should I buy snacks?)

So...me, being the semi-creative sort that I am...decided that I would attempt to recreate (With the help of Google Images, thank you very much!!) the card...just for you. At the end of the recreation, if you wish to discuss amongst yourselves, that would be great. Me? I'm going to bed to gather the energy it's going to take for tomorrow so as not to hurt anyone in the madness we call Valentine's Day here.

****************************

Do you know what it means to come home on Valentine's Day to a guy who meets you at the door........

.....with a cocktail.....

draws you a bubble-bath and......

....makes you a gourmet meal while you are soaking?

It means you're in the

wrong house.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

**Wrong house?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!

Try the wrong country!!!!

Thanks for the giggle, Lila....I can always count on you to add to the "humor level" around here on days like this one!!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Fred Flamingo made a quick stop on his way home from work...he had just a couple more things to get and then his Valentine's Day shopping would be finished.

The test....

There seems to be a bit of a time lag from when I actually post something....to when it registers on the Google Reader.

Last night's post, the time that I actually posted it was at 9:40 PM on Thursday night. BUT....according to my Google Reader.....it says "8:18 AM (5 hours ago)". By the way, it is now 2:08 in the afternoon of Friday.

So...unless I'm being sucked into a time vortex of some sort, something whack is going on at Google.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

My afternoon class was cancelled due to the daughter of my student was home with the flu. I don't know about where you are, but....the flu is some pretty serious business here. Some people have actually prepared for the possible flu pandemic and "2 week-long shut-down" that the media keeps talking about. One student and her family spent over $1000 for a 2-week supply of water, snacks, canned food, noodles, masks (they bought 500!!), goggles, medicine and other things they would need for the 2 weeks that people might possibly be encouraged to stay at home. Can you imagine?

Some of my students and I were discussing:

a) that it all just sounds like a load of crap and my-- how those companies are doing some big business thanks to many people getting panicky and

b) the possibility of those that we know letting us mooch for a few days since we didn't prepare ourselves. (yeah...yeah...we know...ants....grasshoppers...old story.)

Anyway......

****************

A couple of weeks ago, one of my most favorite of students drove to the "big city" north of us. She and her daughter make the trip (about 3 hours, one way) every couple of months and the main reason they go......is to shop at CostCo.

Being the nice, Japanese person she is, she brought me omiyage, or a souvenir, from her shopping trip (This country just cracks me up sometimes!!).

And really....this is a woman who knows me well, my friends.

Please, may I present to you.......

The jar of peanut butter that is as big as your head!!!

Being the concerned mother that I am, I went to the Internet to see what the up-date was about this mana from heaven and was oh so very happy to read that:

The FDA said its warning does not include peanut butter sold in jars, such as Jif or Peter Pan, which the agency said is safe to eat.The warning includes only products made with peanut butter or peanut paste, including cookies, candy, crackers, ice cream and cereal .

1. I am assuming that Skippy is okay, too.

2. How is all this going to affect my Girls (Scouts, that is!)....you know how I do love my Do-Si-Dos.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

I don't actually have migraines very often so I'm not really sure if it was a real one or not, which is why I'm leery of stating that what I had yesterday was indeed a migraine. No, I have never been to the doctor to have a diagnosis. If I were to have them more often, I'm pretty sure I'd be getting my butt in to see someone (well, not my butt actually, but you know what I'm trying to say!).

Severe pain? Oh Momma! That would be a "yes"!!

Nausea? Kind of a "hoojie" feeling (and yes, that IS an original word.)

Dizziness? Yea....that was freaky.

Visual disturbances? Does something like

this count....?

No...I didn't have pink eye, but I did have this strange bit of fuzziness on the outside of my vision. While I was in class, it was weird as I could see the kids' pencils and their paper, I just couldn't see what it was they were actually writing. Almost as if my eyes were refusing to focus on what they wrote.

When something like this happens and the fuzziness starts, I know that I need to get some caffeine into my system quick, to buy me some time to get home. Before my class, I bought a can of hot coffee from the vending machine (uh-huh...we do, too have them!). It seemed to help a little, but by the time class was over, I had picked up Koji and then grabbed stuff from the grocery store, I knew that the clock was ticking and I needed to get home.

That said....I got dinner done (don't ask me what we had for I really couldn't tell you) and by 9:30 I was ready to crash. By that time, the lights in the kitchen were making my eyes hurt, so...I bid everyone "adieu" and fell into the futon (that the K-man had so very nicely put done earlier....gotta remember to buy that man some chocolate for Valentine's Day!)

Was praying for Divine intervention by way of the "Migraine Zapper" I had actually seen somewhere on the Internet!!

I slept through the night until 6:30 this morning when my alarm went of and "Praise be the Lord!"....the pain was gone!! All that was left was an almost-hungover feeling that I had to deal with for most of the day. But...the worse part was over.

As for what on earth could have caused the mind-freezing, jaw clenching, "call my mommy and cry" pain?

It really could have been a number of things...or a combination of all those things.

I tend to look at these "episodes" as Mother Nature's way of telling me to slow the frick down....relax more...get more sleep at night...and more importantly...

take better care of myself.

Sort of like a really painful, bitch slap of love.

That said....it's a little after midnight and I...am...going to bed.

I'm turning the computer off (she typed, shakily).

I can....and will...read blogs tomorrow....AFTER getting some work done!

Tomorrow is a National Holiday here in Japan. I asked my students what holiday it was (I tend to forget which is which). One class said, "Like the 4th of July in the States."

Since I'm thinking it's not "Independence Day" they are talking about, I'm going to go with the National Foundation Day of Japan.

About Me

I am an American living in Nagasaki City, Japan. My days are spent teaching mainly oldER learners of English...the rest of the time, I 'm just trying to stay ahead of the game here as an expat. I have many hobbies and projects and two sons that keep me busy...everyday!!